ITI 


LIBRARY 

®lu0lo()ical  Seminary, 

FR1N('ET0N..  X.  J 
No.  Case, 

No.  Shelf,  -4— -7— - 
No.  Book, -4/.—/-— 

Jiu. 


, Fr^the  Rev.  W.  B.  SPRAGUE,  D.D. 


Sept:  1839. 


« ^f>Ue<;tion.  Vol. 


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ADDRESS  TO  THE  PUBLIC, 


ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  THE 


AFRICAN  SCHOOL, 

r-ATELY  'established  UNDER  THE  CARE  OP 

THE  SYNOD 

OF 


3SEW-YORK  AND  NEW-JERSEY. 


BY  THE  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  INSTITUTION. 


NEW- YORK : 


PRINTED  BY  3.  SEYMOUR,  NO.  49  JOHN-STREET. 


1816 


' 


# 

■t 


ADDRESS,  Sfc. 


'^J'he  Synod  of  New-York  and  New-Jersey,  at  their 
meeting  in  the  city  of  New-York,  October  1816,  una- 
nimously resolved  to  appoint  a Board  of  Directors  to 
establish  and  superintend  an  African  School,  for  the 
purpose  of  educating  young  men  of  colour,  to  be  teach- 
ers and  preachers  to  people  of  colour  within  these 
States  and  elsewhere.  The  following  persons  were 
elected  members  of  the  Board  for  the  present  year. 


MINISTERS. 


LAYMEN. 


Dr.  Jas.  Richards, 
Dr.  Edw.  D.  Griffin, 
Dr.  John  B.  Romeyn, 
Mr.  Robert  Finley, 
Mr.  John  McDowell, 
Mr.  Gardiner  Spring. 


Hon  Aaron  Ogden,  L.L.D. 
Saml.  Bayard,  Esq. 

Joseph  C.  Hornblower,  Esq. 
Mr.  John  E.  Caldwell, 

Mr.  Zeciiariah  Lewis, 

Mr.  Rensselaer  Havens. 


The  Board  thus  appointed  beg  leave  to  submit  to 
the  public  the  following  thoughts  on  the  subject  of  pre- 
paring for  the  great  negro-world  teachers  of  their  own 
race. 

By  computations  founded  on  the  latest  information, 
there  are  in  Africa  and  its  islands  twenty  millions  of 
the  proper  negro  race,  besides  thirty  millions  who  dif- 
fer from  them  more  or  less  in  complexion  and  features. 
There  are  supposed  to  be  a million  and  a half  of  the 


4 


same  people  in  the  United  States  ; and  a million  and  a 
half  more  may  be  reckoned  for  the  Floridas,  Mexico, 
South  America,  and  the  West  India  Islands,  to  say  no- 
thing of  New-Guinea.  Here  then  is  a vast  world  of 
twenty-three  millions  of  souls,  (besides  the  thirty  mil- 
lions before  mentioned ;)  a population  equal  to  that  of 
the  United  States,  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  Sweden,  and 
Denmark  united. 

Though  we  are  fully  persuaded  that  to  the  end  of 
the  world  there  will  remain  different  orders  in  Society, 
it  cannot  be  supposed  that  so  considerable  a portion  of 
the  human  race,  consisting  of  so  many  independent  na- 
tions, and  occupying  the  greater  part  of  one  of  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe,  are  always  to  be  regarded 
as  made  only  for  slaves,  or  are  to  be  excluded  from  the 
blessings  of  Christianity  and  civilization  during  the  ap- 
proaching period  of  the  millennium.  In  those  days 
which  are  yet  to  come,  and  which  are  even  now  at  the 
door,  the  descendants  of  Ham,  we  are  bound  to  be- 
lieve, will  attain  to  an  elevation  and  dignity  which  will 
do  away  the  memory  of  their  past  disgrace,  and  give 
them  a rank  among  the  polished  nations  of  Europe  and 
America.  Africa  will  yet  boast  of  her  poets  and  ora- 
tors. Eloquence  will  play  on  the  tumid  lips  of  her 
sons,  and  sable  hands  will  strike  the  lyre,  and  weave 
the  silken  web.  On  the  Niger  as  on  the  Thames, 
temples  will  arise  to  the  living  God ; and  perhaps  the 
arid  sands  will  find  the  curse  of  barrenness  repealed 
by  the  same  Power  that  will  turn  Palestine  into  a fruit- 
ful field. 

If  Africa  is  to  stand  forth  in  the  glory  of  Christian- 
ity and  civilization,  her  own  sons,  and  not  the  sons  of 


strangers,  must  be  the  instructers  of  her  youth,  and 
her  ministers  of  religion.  No  nation  will  ever  advance 
far  in  any  improvement  but  by  the  instrumentality  of 
her  own  children.  Strangers  may  make  a beginning, 
but  strangers  cannot  continue  to  support  her  schools 
and  her  churches.  To  sustain  such  a weight  at  arm’s 
length,  would  exhaust  both  patience  and  power.  His- 
tory presents  no  instance  of  the  kind.  Apostles  and 
missionaries  may  pass  over  a country,  but  native  teach- 
ers must  finish  the  work.  So  it  was  in  primitive  times. 
So  it  was  in  every  country  of  Europe  when  it  received 
the  Christian  faith.  So  it  is  in  India  at  the  present  day. 
The  debilitated  and  jetty  Hindoos  prolong  and  extend 
the  order  which  European  missionaries  have  estab- 
lished. 

To  say  that  Africans  are  not  competent  to  become 
teachers  and  preachers,  is  therefore  to  say  that  one 
quarter  of  the  world  is  never  to  support  a Christian 
Church.  And  why  is  this  said  ? Are  not  the  coloured 
people  of  these  States  as  competent  for  such  offices  as 
Hottentots,  many  of  whom  are  now  proclaiming  to 
their  countrymen  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  ? 
We  are  not  to  judge  of  the  power  of  the  lion  from 
what  we  see  of  him  incaged  and  enchained.  Let  us 
not  first  debase  and  then  libel.  If  we  would  judge  of 
the  sleeping  energies  of  African  minds,  let  us  peruse 
some  portions  of  modern  history,  over  which  for  ob- 
vious reasons  we  must  here  cast  a vail ; let  us  look  to 
the  progress  made  in  our  Sunday  Schools,  and  in  the 
African  Seminary  recently  established  in  one  of  our 
cities. 

If  Africa  must  have  African  teachers  and  preachers, 


6 


who  shall  prepare  them  but  the  Christian  world  ? 
Africa  has  no  science  to  communicate ; Africa  has  no 
religion  to  impart.  For  the  present,  and  for  a consi- 
derable time  to  come,  she  must  be  a passive  receiver, 
and  Christian  nations  must  convey  to  her  the  light  and 
grace.  If  any  of  her  children  are  taught,  and  made 
competent  to  instruct  their  countrymen,  European  or 
American  benevolence  must  teach  them.  We  must 
begin  the  series  of  a Gospel  ministry  that  shall  perpetu- 
ate itself  among  the  tribes  of  that  vast  continent. 

This  work  plainly  devolves  on  America  rather  than 
Europe,  for  two  reasons.  First,  the  great  mass  of  the 
transported  Africans  are  here.  Allowing  that  there 
are  thirty  thousand  dispersed  through  the  different 
nations  of  Europe,  the  number  in  the  United  States 
alone,  compared  to  that  in  all  Europe,  is  as  fifty  to  one. 
Here  this  vast  mass  is  concentrated ; there  the  small 
number  are  thinly  scattered  over  different  countries, 
and  lost  in  an  overwhelming  population.  Our  advan- 
tages to  make  selections  are  to  those  enjoyed  by  any 
nation  in  Europe  as  two  or  three  hundred  to  one. 
And  our  chances  to  find  proper  subjects  are  still  great- 
er. Here  special  attentions  may  be  easily  directed  to 
form  the  African  character ; there  the  attempt  is  al- 
most impossible.  Perhaps  in  no  district  of  Europe 
could  an  African  scliool  or  congregation  be  collected ; 
either  of  these  might  be  done  in  almost  any  neighbour- 
hood South  of  New-England,  and  even  in  the  large 
towns  of  that  part  of  the  Union.  No  spot  on  earth  is 
so  well  fitted  for  the  sublime  and  holy  effort,  as  that 
on  which  we  dwell.  Secondly,  no  portion  of  the  world 
is  so  deeply  indebted  to  Africq.  as  this  Western  conti- 


nent  and  its  islands.  This  is  the  prison  which  has  re- 
ceived all  her  captive  sons.  America  is  the  only  civil- 
ized country  in  which  slavery  is  allowed.  Th  ough  some 
of  the  Christian  nations  of  Europe  tolerate  it  in  their 
American  colonies,  not  one  of  them,  it  is  believed,  ad- 
mit it  in  the  parent  state.  This  land  of  freedom  is 
the  only  enlightened  land  of  slaves.  On  the  principle 
of  slavery  we  have  nothing  to  say.  We  only  affirm 
that  America  is  the  great  receptacle  which  has  receiv- 
ed the  streams  that  Africa  has  discharged.  And  for 
this  we  owe  her  large  ai  rears. 

The  Board  are  aware  of  the  many  difficulties  which 
attend  this  undertaking,  and  of  the  disappointments 
which  they  must  expect  to  meet;  but  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  they  will  go  forward.  They  are  not  unmind- 
ful of  the  existing  state  of  things  in  their  own  country, 
and  of  the  duties  thence  resulting.  Should  an  opening 
be  made  for  any  of  their  young  men  within  these  States, 
and  should  this  Board  be,  authorized  to  send  them 
forth,  they  will  select  only  the  most  faithful  and  dis- 
creet, and  give  them  peremptory  Instructions  to  incul- 
cate subordination  according  to  the  apostolic  example. 
The  whole  wisdom  and  dignity  of  the  Synod,  under 
whose  direction  the  Board  act,  are  a guarantee  to  the 
public  for  the  caution  and  prudence  of  their  proceed- 
ings. 

The  Board  at  present  have  no  funds,  and  for  these 
they  cast  themselves  on  the  charity  of  a compassionate 
public,  making  their  appeal  especially  to  those  whose 
hearts  are  penetrated  w'lth  the  love  of  Christ.  The 
tears  of  Africa  will  not  plead  in  vain.  The  injunctions 
of  a Saviour  will  npt  be  heard  in  vain.  They  only  add, 


8 


that  any  donations  conveyed  to  their  Treasurer,  Joseph 
C.  Hornblower,  Esq.  of  Newark,  will  be  gratefully  ac- 
knowledged. 

The  Board  hope  to  be  ready  to  receive  applications 
from  young  men  without  delay,  and  will  be  thankful 
for  notices  of  proper  characters  from  any  part  of  the 
Union.  Applicants  must  possess  respectable  talents, 
sound  discretion,  undoubted  piety,  be  able  to  read  and 
write,  and  come  well  recommended.  Correspondents 
will  please  to  direct  their  letters,  except  those  which 
contain  donations,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Board. 

f 

By  order  of  the  Board, 

JAMES  RICHARDS,  President. 
EDWARD  D.  GRIFFIN,  Secretary. 


JYeivark,  (JV.  J.)  Oct.  29, 1816. 


